North Star dominates Four Winds, wins 60-6

The cold, rainy weather was the least of the Four Winds Indians’ concerns Friday night

By Joe MellenbruchJournal Sports@Journal_Joe

The cold, rainy weather was the least of the Four Winds Indians’ concerns Friday night as they were blown out by North Star 60-6 in Cando.

The loss extended a 20-game losing streak for Four Winds, whose last win came in 2011 via a 49-14 home decision over Dunseith.

Now, with No. 1 Cavalier as the team’s only remaining regular season opponent, the Indians seem destined for yet another winless season, what would be their second consecutive campaign without a victory.

Four Winds head coach Mark Bishop was understandably somber after his team’s performance on Friday night, a game that saw the Indians down 54-0 at halftime.

Bishop said that at the halftime break, he told his players to put the game’s first two quarters out of their minds.

“I just told them to forget the first half and to come out and play like its a new game,” he said. “I just wanted them to give it their all.”

But in the end, even their most enthused effort was not enough to stifle the North Star attack, which battered the Indians for 44 first-quarter points.

Four Winds is an admittedly young team, and youth often translates to inexperience, which was evident on Friday night in Cando for Mark Bishop and his players.

According to Bishop, among his nine starting players on offense, one is a junior, one is a sophomore, six are freshmen and one is in eighth grade.

“We’re real young, so it’s all about just getting better right now,” Bishop said. “Hopefully in the future, we can start dishing out some of these scores instead of taking them.”

On the other side of the ball, North Star was another young team, a group without a single senior on its roster. But they were able to execute on Friday night against the Indians.

Junior defensive end Christian Kvilvang was among the key performers for the Bearcats, returning three interceptions for touchdowns, including one that ocurred on the first play of the second half.

“When I came off the ball, I was basically in the right spot at the right time,” Kvilvang said. “For the most part, I would get into position, and the ball just fell right into my hands.”

Kvilvang is one of the leaders of the senior-less North Star team, and he knows that results haven’t been quite what the Bearcats were hoping for after their playoff-push in 2012.

But this sort of win shows just what North Star is capable of if they are firing on all cylinders.

In games like this, games against lesser opposition, it is important for teams like North Star to look sharp, to execute their schemes with precision and tact, and that’s what they were able to do on Friday night.

Now with one game remaining on the season, the Bearcats have the opportunity to bring their record back to the .500 mark, something that head coach Bryan Haugen will be anxious to accomplish.

“That would be a huge boost for these kids and for our program,” Haugen said. “It would be a great carry over into next season.”